I've been reading some posts about this. My son wants to go back to doing Apologia rather an AP course at the local high school (because he feels it is just so much more efficient, and he likes Apologia). However, some of the posters feel that advanced Apologia isn't as rigorous as other AP chemistry options out there. Since he wants to do well on the AP exam, this would be a concern. I just wanted to delve into the whys and wherefores of why this might be the case.

I'm also concerned that not being able to label the course as AP on the transcript will be an issue for college entrance, despite the fact he intends to take the AP exam. Again, should I be concerned about this, or does the fact that he actually gets an AP score mitigate the problem of not labeling the course as "AP"? BTW, he took Apologia Chem I the year prior - he is finishing up AP Bio at a local high school this year.

Not exactly on topic, but be aware that the Chem Exam is going to be "new" next year. You will want to look closely at the requirements published by the College Board and see how well whatever text you choose aligns with the redesigned test.

We are finding that the bio 'looks' a lot different this year than two years ago ... I'm very curious to see how the test goes for dd.

You can't say AP Chemistry on your transcript unless you go through the hoops of having your course syllabus approved by the college board. I did not bother to do that with dd. We used Apologia Chem and Advanced Chem - she completed each book in one semester - and then without prompting she chose to read through Dh and I's old college chem texts. She was pretty independent and in February of the 2nd semester announced she wanted to attempt the AP. I bought an AP Chem practice/study book. She got a 5. To be honest, it does no good to list "AP Chem" and then get a poor grade on the exam or not sit the exam. The exam is, well, everything from the college perspective. DD went into the University of Michigan on nice scholarships as a chem major without any AP designations to her classes because she still had the exam scores to send in and that's really all they count.

Now that said, you have to understand that chem is a natural for dd, she was a self-starter/studier, and we were largely uninvolved in the process except grading her exams, lab notebooks, and projects. So, how closely she may have followed an AP syllabus is anyone's guess.

This was 5 years ago and since the test is changing, I'd recommend adding an AP approved text to the Apologia. You can look through the topics and see if anything is missing. It will also help your student more with the format and definitely get a Princeton Review AP chem prep book. Use that one first. The Barron's is demoralizing because it over prepares. However, I'm convinced that if one does well with Princeton practice tests and then manages to survive the Barrons, then one is usually set up to get a 4 or 5 on the exam as long as nerves, illness, or other extenuating circumstance does not come into play. The new prep books should be written with the changes to the exam in mind.

I don't think one is likely, given what I've heard about the changes, to get a high grade on Apologia alone.

I realize that you cannot label the course AP unless it has been officially blessed by College Board. I guess I was just wondering to what extent that would be a problem if the actual AP test was taken. Thanks, then, for the reminder that I won't even be able to include that fact on his transcript since the test won't even be taken until May and this will be for his senior year.

Thanks also for the reminder that the test content has changed. We learned of this during his AP bio this year - even though he is doing a regular AP bio course at the local high school, I wanted to get him a prep book to supplement. So I would definitely do that should he use Apologia Advanced Chem, but just didn't know how it stood up generally to other equivalent texts. Again, I hadn't considered that aspect of things (exam content change), so I appreciate the heads up.

I am beginning to think that he needs to simply take an official AP course somewhere, since his transcript only has AP Bio right now - which is a bit light for a science major hopeful. He will be sad about not doing Apologia, however, since all my kids just really loved the format. One child even had chem classes with Rusty Hughes, an Apologia Chem author, way back in the day!

So next question, do you know of College Board sanctioned AP courses out there that would allow for a maximum of independent study? We could easily do this at the high school again, but DS just doesn't want to be tied down to their own brand of busy work and restrictive scheduling. He will also be doing Apologia Physics I the same year - because he wants two AP sciences, but doesn't want to skip Physics, which he hasn't studied yet.

Thinkwell and Trivedi are both video-based and, I would think, fairly independent. Are you using the DIVE DVD with the Apologia course? That might be another option. There are also some online options listed. I think if you want an actual College Board audited AP Chem course, you may have to go with the online/enrolled option. PA Homeschoolers, The Potter's School, and Oak Meadow all offer AP Chem.

So next question, do you know of College Board sanctioned AP courses out there that would allow for a maximum of independent study? We could easily do this at the high school again, but DS just doesn't want to be tied down to their own brand of busy work and restrictive scheduling. He will also be doing Apologia Physics I the same year - because he wants two AP sciences, but doesn't want to skip Physics, which he hasn't studied yet.

CTY offers a College Board approved/audited AP Chemistry class online. I don't have any experience with it, but it looks like it might suit an independent-minded student. It includes a lab component utilizing the Microchem kit.

this is my update threads day! I just thought I'd share my decision in case it helps others with theirs. I talked to the AP chem teacher at the school where my son is currently taking AP bio, and really, really liked her. She has taught numerous home schooled kids (including my daughter currently who attends the school full time by her choice), and thinks they are wonderful - so is very sympathetic to what I'm doing/have done with my kids. While she's obviously biased somewhat, I do tend to agree with her that doing AP chemistry in particular in a fully equipped class lab setting can be extremely helpful when they come to do lab sciences in college where they might well end up feeling a little less lost around the lab equipment while simultaneously navigating the often impersonal atmosphere of many college labs that can have as many as 40 people participating. So, while this probably contradicts my original request, and perhaps many of your own opinions on the matter (which I fully respect), I have decided to enroll him in the local high school class for this. In part, I hope it will help him make a smoother transition into college in fall of 2014, even though I sympathize with his desire to stick to Apologia.